The present invention relates to connectors for attachment to electronic components such as, for example, circuit boards.
Components for electronic equipment, such as circuit boards, cables, individual wires, etc., are generally provided with connectors, for example a bus connector which composed of a plurality of contacts which are secured in an insulating housing that may be made of a thermoplastic material. Each contact of such a connector is connected to a wire, or tail, via which electrical connection will be made between the contact and a conductor on an associated circuit board.
In the fabrication of such a connector, the rear side of the housing, which faces toward the circuit board, is closed by a further plastic body which is cast or injection molded onto the housing to close each housing opening in which a contact is held and to seal the connecting joint between the contact and its associated connecting lead.
During such casting or injection molding, the plastic material which is being cast or injection molded can intrude into the housing openings containing the contacts. The plastic which enters these openings can adversely affect the spring deflection characteristics of the contacts and/or can prevent proper insertion of a connecting pin of a mating connector and/or can contaminate connecting surfaces of the contacts.
In order to prevent plastic which is being cast or injection molded to such a housing from flowing into the housing openings, it is known to seal those openings, prior to casting or molding of the further plastic body, by applying an epoxy or other sealing material. The step of adding such a sealing material adds to the time and cost of the connector manufacturing process.
It has been proposed to fix electrical contacts in a connector body by melting a portion of the connector body to cause material to flow into a well in which the contact has been positioned in order to secure the contact in place. U.S. Pat. No. 5,046,243 discloses a procedure of this type using ultrasonic heating. This patent additionally mentions that melting of the connector material by direct application of heat is cumbersome and time-consuming. The patent does not give any details of such a melting technique.